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How much does it cost to print a book?

By Mike HeatonUpdated October 20266 min read3-minute videoEvery binding
The short answer

Size, page count, paper and quantity set the price. As a guide, 100 A5 stapled zines (32 pages) cost £188, 100 A5 paperbacks (84 pages) £394, and 100 square hardback picture books (32 pages) £618, with UK delivery included.

The price per copy drops sharply between 50 and 250 copies, and there’s no VAT on books, booklets or zines.

Real prices for 100 copies

These are real jobs from our price cards, all for 100 copies with UK delivery included. Find the one closest to your book.

A5 zine, 32ppStapled · 300gsm silk matt-laminated cover, 130gsm silk inside£188£1.88 each
A4 booklet, 32ppStapled · 300gsm silk matt-laminated cover, 130gsm silk inside£306£3.06 each
A5 paperback, 84ppPerfect bound · 300gsm silk matt-laminated cover, 130gsm silk inside£394£3.94 each
Square picture book, 32pp210 × 210mm paperback · perfect bound£338£3.38 each
Square hardback, 32pp210 × 210mm picture book · printed case and printed endpapers£618£6.18 each
A4 hardback, 84pp297 × 210mm portrait · printed case and printed endpapers£1,012£10.12 each

Prices checked September 2026 · we confirm the exact price on your quote. UK delivery included. No VAT on books, booklets or zines.

Just want one? A single 32-page zine costs about £40, and for 1–20 copies the instant calculator prices your exact book as you click.

What moves the price

Six things set the price of every job. Size, page count, paper and quantity matter most.

What moves the price, with real examples for 100 copies
What changesHow it moves the priceReal example
SizeA5, A4 portrait and 210 × 210mm square are the most cost-effective. Bigger formats move onto larger presses and cost more.32pp stapled: A5 £188, A4 £306
Page countMore pages means more paper and press time, and a thicker spine.A5 paperback: 44pp £246, 84pp £394
BindingStapled costs least, perfect bound sits in the middle and hardback is the premium option.A5 84pp: paperback £394, hardback £614
QuantityThe more copies you print, the less each one costs.A5 84pp paperback: £3.94 each for 100, £1.97 each for 500
PaperOur house silk, gloss and uncoated papers keep costs down. Coloured or kraft stock at least doubles the cost.Silk and gloss cost the same; uncoated is fractionally more
Ink and extrasBlack-only inside pages bring the price down. Foil, spot UV and embossing add from £280 a run.Foil on 100 copies: from £2.80 a copy
100 copies, UK delivery included. Prices checked September 2026 · we confirm the exact price on your quote.

How the price per copy falls with quantity

The price per copy drops sharply between 50 and 250 copies, then keeps easing as the run grows. Here’s the same book at different quantities.

Total price and price per copy by quantity
Book100 copies250 copies500 copies
A5 booklet, 16pp stapled£164
£1.64 each
£280
£1.12 each
Ask us
A5 zine, 32pp stapled£188
£1.88 each
£355
£1.42 each
Ask us
A5 paperback, 84pp£394
£3.94 each
£816
£3.26 each
£986
£1.97 each
Square paperback, 32pp£338
£3.38 each
Ask us£1,100
£2.20 each
Square hardback, 32pp£618
£6.18 each
£1,230
£4.92 each
£1,990
£3.98 each
Prices checked September 2026 · we confirm the exact price on your quote. UK delivery included.
Ask for two quantities

It’s worth asking for two quantities on your quote, say 100 and 250, so you can see the difference. Or tell us a target price per copy and we’ll work out the quantity that hits it.

Short runs print digitally. On longer runs, litho printing becomes more cost-effective, and we’ll recommend whichever suits your quantity.

What’s included in every price

  • Free UK tracked delivery to one UK address.
  • A free file check by a real person. We check bleed, page order, image resolution, spine width and colour, and often rebuild missing bleed or build your cover for you.
  • No VAT on books, booklets, zines, leaflets or newspapers. They’re zero-rated.
  • A PDF proof to approve on most runs of 21 copies or more, and on every hardback.
  • Your artwork kept on file, so a reprint is one email.
Where VAT does apply

Notebooks, postcards and posters carry 20% VAT, unlike books.

Extras, and what they cost

Extras and add-ons
ExtraPriceGood to know
Foil, spot UV or embossingFrom £280Per run. Adds 5–6 working days, and you send a second file marking where the finish goes.
Book cloth hardback coverAbout £250Per run. With foiled lettering, around £530–580 in all.
Ribbon marker50p a bookHardbacks only, in seven colours.
Printed proof copyFrom £25£25 for a flat sheet; a bound copy is about £44 stapled, £58–82 perfect bound or £120–180 hardback. Not colour-matched to the final run.
Timed delivery slot£8 or £12Pre-noon £8, pre-9am £12, for critical deadlines.
Resizing your artworkFrom £25Quicker and cheaper to set your file up at the size you want printed.
Prices checked September 2026 · we confirm the exact price on your quote.

Because finishes are priced per run, they add far less per copy on a bigger run. See them in action on our premium extras page.

Ways to keep the cost down

  • Stick to a standard size. A5, A4 portrait, A6, 210 × 210mm and 254 × 203mm print most efficiently.
  • Choose a house paper. Want a coloured or kraft look? Drop one of our free paper textures into your cover background instead, and we’ll print it crisp on bright white.
  • Watch your page count. Every extra page adds paper and press time, so tighten the layout before you fix the final count.
  • Print black-only inside pages if your content is words or line art. Greyscale counts too.
  • Order one copy first. There’s no minimum, and checking a single copy in your hands costs far less than reprinting a run.
  • Set up your file at the right size. Our free Artwork Hub shows you how, so there’s nothing to resize.

How to get your exact price

  1. 1–20 copies: price it yourselfThe instant calculator prices your book as you click, with no forms and no waiting.
  2. More than 20 copies: ask for a quoteOur 30-second quote form takes your size, pages, paper, binding and quantity. We usually reply within an hour or two, and the same working day.
  3. Or just talk to usEmail hello@exwhyzed.com or ring Harriet or Mike on 01206 766647. Real people, no chatbots.

Making a zine pay its way? This short video looks at zine pricing and what makes a project viable.

An insightful look into zine pricing, printing and making your project viable | Ex Why Zed1.9K views · Ex Why Zed on YouTube

Amazing service from Mike. I liked the fact that I could speak to a real person who was so helpful and they seemed very cost effective also. Hugely recommend.
Uzma · Verified buyer on Reviews.io · June 2026★★★★★

Quick questions

Is there a minimum order?

None. Print a single copy to check it in your hands, then run the full batch.

Do I pay VAT?

Not on books, booklets, zines or leaflets. They’re zero-rated. Notebooks, postcards and posters carry 20% VAT.

Is black and white printing cheaper?

Yes. Tell us if your inside pages are black ink only (greyscale counts) and it’ll bring your price down.

Would print on demand be cheaper?

Sometimes. For a text-only A5 novel under about 50 copies, a print-on-demand service may well be cheaper. We come into our own on illustrated books, photobooks and special finishes, and on runs of 50 upwards.

How much is delivery?

Free to one UK address, by tracked courier. Worldwide delivery is quoted at the courier’s cost price, and outside the UK import fees may be charged on arrival.

Why is my quote different from the price cards?

Each card is a real job at a fixed spec. Change the size, page count, paper or quantity and the price moves with it, which is why we quote every book individually.

Want your exact price?

For 1–20 copies, the instant calculator prices your book as you click. For more, send us the size, page count, paper and quantity, and we’ll come back the same working day.

Mike Heaton
Written by Mike HeatonMike answers most of the calls at Ex Why Zed, so the questions here are the ones he hears every week. We’ve been helping people get their work into print since 2006.
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Still wondering?

Real people, no chatbots.

Harriet and Mike usually reply within minutes. Phones are open 9am–5pm, Monday to Friday, and you can email any time.

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